Thread by @ChrisO_wiki

1/ The constant threat of Ukrainian drone strikes and tougher restrictions imposed by the Russian army on troop movements in the rear now mean that Russian soldiers in occupied Ukraine live "almost like [in] a penal colony", according to a serving Russian soldier. ⬇️

2/ Recent moves by the Russian military administration in occupied parts of Ukraine (known as "the Zone") have drastically reduced the freedom of Russian soldiers serving there, with infractions being punished by sending offenders into suicidal assaults.

https://x.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1959873135727276443

3/ The author of the 'Vault No. 8' Telegram channel writes about the current situation in the distant rear, closer to the Russian border:

4/ "In addition to the threat of FPV [drones] in the rear, there is also the threat of strikes by HIMARS rockets and aircraft-type kamikaze drones. Although the frequency of strikes is lower than in the near rear, their power and lethality are higher.

5/ "In the far rear (more than 40 km from the front line):

6/ "— The frequency of aircraft-type kamikaze flights can reach 1-5 per day at a distance of up to 70 km from the front line. Strikes with HIMARS, operational-tactical and cruise missiles are rare. But if this happens, dozens or hundreds of people can become victims.

7/ "— [Soldiers receive] Three meals a day based on standard rations. The possibility of walking to shops, as well as travelling by car, is severely restricted by the military police and is under close supervision.

8/ "Travel outside the base areas of military units is extremely limited, as it is in the permanent points of deployment in the peaceful part of the country.

9/ "— The possibility of crossing the border of the Zone into peaceful Russia this year is limited to five cars per day.

10/ "Therefore, the availability of goods at marketplaces, household goods, and other benefits of civilisation in 2025 for the military somewhere at a training ground in the Zone is worse than in 2023-2024.

11/ "Simply put, if you are a rear serviceman at a training ground, then you live almost like in a penal colony – you can’t go anywhere without an order, you can’t cross the border into Russia, there are three layers of military police (regimental, divisional, army, district)…

12/ …and traffic police all around.

Internet access in the rear is severely restricted: Starlink is banned in the rear, and there are constant raids by the military police and other agencies looking to score easy points by confiscating prohibited gadgets.

13/ "Thus, if we compare everyday life, then:

— In terms of food: in the near rear, the regulations are 80% ... due to the Ukrainians. In the middle rear, it's more or less [equal]. In the far rear, the regulations are 80% due to the army and military police.

14/ "— In terms of washing: in the near rear, 1-2 times a week due to the Ukrainians, sometimes less often (the closer to the front line, the more difficult), in the middle rear, it's normal, 2-3 times a week, in the far rear, 1-2 times a week due to the army.

15/ "You wash more often in the far rear if you built a bathhouse for YOUR troops. According to the regulations [you can wash] in the government bathhouse once a week.

16/ "— About the Internet: in the near rear, not everyone has it, because of the Ukrainians, in the middle rear, everyone has it and it is stable, in the far rear, not everyone has it because of the fight against the prohibited Internet.

17/ "3) The higher the headquarters you are transferred to, the more work, but the salary is the same.

In the regiment, you work with the papers of your unit and have correspondence with the higher headquarters. And that's it.

18/ "You are transferred to the division. Your rank is the same, the salary is the same. But you have document flow with 5 subordinate regiments and 5-6 separate units. And also correspondence with the army headquarters. That is, the work increases approximately 10 times.

19/ "The higher the level of a separate unit (for example, a divisional separate engineer-sapper battalion, an army engineer-sapper regiment), the more work and the wider the geography of application.

20/ "You and your comrades are scattered on missions in the area of ​​responsibility of the entire division. But the salary is the same, the vacation is the same. There are more calls for missions + you periodically work as a "fire brigade" in solving urgent issues.

21/ "Therefore, from the point of view of a soldier, sergeant and warrant officer, it is better to serve in a regiment and deal with a familiar range of tasks, although you are closer to the front line and take risks more often.

22/ "And, by the way, again about risks.

Of course, at the front and in the near rear there is a higher chance of catching an FPV. But you are engaged in combat work, supplies and construction.

23/ "And being a rear-line worker, you can catch the same FPV [while] taking the documentation for checking the bathhouse to the regiment commander for signature. Or simply, as we recently had here, delivering sushi to one of the bosses (no one was hurt, the EW jammer worked).

24/ "To sum it up. The drone revolution has made rear service in the Zone up to 40 km from the front line not as rosy as it is imagined by old warriors and militarists who have not been to the Special Military Operation.

25/ "And beyond 40 km no one guaranteed that ATACMS would not fly to you one day with a greeting. Tension is present everywhere in the Zone and in the borderlands." /end

Source:
t.me/vault8pro/52889